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Vicki Gerdes

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Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 16 years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Lake Park-Audubon School Board. Living in DL with my cat, Smokey.

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(218) 844-1454

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Wakeboarding, kayaking, pontooning, hunting on a private preserve, 4-wheeling, ladder golf, ping pong... it was a jam-packed weekend of activity for the seven U.S. Army combat veterans who congregated at Holbrook Farms Retreat in rural Detroit Lakes over the Labor Day holiday weekend. "We really wanted to give them a 'Minnesota experience,'" said Katie Oberg, a founding board member of the Brady Oberg Legacy Foundation, which sponsored the weekend retreat.

For 36 years, Detroit Lakes kindergarten teacher Denise Kettner strived to ensure that all her students had a solid academic and ethical foundation, in order to give them the best possible shot at a happy, full, productive life. "I believed, as a kindergarten teacher, that I was changing the story of my students every day," says Kettner, who retired from her career with the Detroit Lakes school district in 2014.

If there is one piece of wisdom that Essentia Health-St. Mary's general surgeon Dr. George Portilla has taken to heart in his many years as a health care provider, it is this: Early detection saves lives. That's why Portilla is such a vocal advocate for the Noon Rotary Club's annual blood screening clinic, which gets underway this Monday, Sept. 12 and continues daily from 7 to 10 a.m. through Thursday, Sept. 16.

Sooner or later, Medicare, the nation's major federal health insurance program, will affect everyone. In fact, if you pay taxes, Medicare already affects you because a portion of your taxes goes to finance part of the Medicare program. Even though you're paying into the Medicare program during your working years, and will probably rely on its services in the future, you may not be aware of what benefits the program offers — and what it doesn't offer.

Ham salad, bean salad, taco salad, crab salad, fruit salad, coleslaw... these are just a few examples of the vast array of tasty choices to be found at the 16th annual Grace Lutheran Church Salad Luncheon, which takes place this year on Friday, Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. "We have every kind of salad imaginable," says Bertha Anderson, one of the ladies at Grace Lutheran who lend their organizational and culinary skills to the planning committee for what has become one of the church's biggest get-togethers of the year.

For the past 50 years of his life, Steve Schmit has been an avid downhill skier, taking to the slopes as often as he can. But this winter, the Detroit Lakes native's skis will be gathering dust in the closet. While he hopes to eventually strap them back on his feet once again, it won't be for a while yet. On March 5 of this year, Schmit was enjoying his favorite pastime at Detroit Mountain Recreation Area when he had an unanticipated encounter with a tree.

It's the busiest week of the year for the staff at Richwood Winery, located just west of the tiny village of Richwood in Becker County. Normally, the winery's two biggest events of the season, the Grape Stomp fall festival and Toast to Tamarac charity fundraiser, are held on successive weekends in September. This year, however, they're being held back-to-back, with the Toast falling on Friday, Sept. 9, and the Grape Stomp on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Americans across the country remember those military servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and celebrate those who returned home safely from the front lines.

The Becker County Developmental Achievement Center (DAC) has undergone a couple of changes in leadership recently. The DAC welcomed Chad Baethke as its new executive director this summer. He is succeeding David Peterson, who had been with the DAC since 1979.

A hot dog eating contest, mayoral "election"—where prospective candidates can literally buy votes for $1 each—as well as strolling through all the bake sale, rummage sale, flea and craft market items on display, not to mention lawn games like Yahtzee and Farkel, played with oversized dice...